Breaking Point
by The-Kiss-of-Immortality
Summary: What happens when the one person that Temperance Brennan needs most isn't there? Tempe's POV, Cullins Bull Pen entry for January, ENJOY


**Breaking Point**

**A/N This is for Cullins Bull Pen in January!!! Hope you like!!**

I was sitting in my office, looking at my computer screen. It was almost midnight and I wanted to find out a little more about the case that we were working on before I went home.

I knew that Booth would come in tomorrow and tell me to go home, but I wouldn't listen because I'm was not planning to go home tonight or tomorrow or maybe even the next day.

I had to admit, this case was hard on me. I needed a break. I knew that. I have lots of holiday and sick time saved up, I could always go back to Guatemala, and they always have something that they need help with.

Everybody could see it. I was slowly breaking. This case was doing that to me. I needed Angela here, I needed her so much. But she's never coming back.

I went to her gravesite once, but I couldn't stay for long. I couldn't see her name on the headstone. She was my best friend.

I sat there, looking at pictures of us all together, pictures of her wedding, her child.

Ange was too young to die. She was only 34.

I went back to my notes on her case. I knew, ever since she went missing, that she had been killed. Angela always told me where she was going so that I wouldn't have to worry.

Hodgins looked so depressed now, he never looks anybody in the eye any more, except his daughter who will never really know her mother.

I didn't know where to turn.

The next morning, Zach found me asleep on my desk. I didn't know that I had fallen asleep.

"Dr. Brennan?" he asked quietly.

"Huh?" I asked and I shot up. "I'm awake."

"Dr. Brennan, we need you to look at her remains once more before we give them to Hodgins and her father," Zach told me.

"Ok Zach," I told the young anthropologist.

I walked with him to where her remains were on the examination platform, and stood there for a moment. We had a temporary forensic artist come in she drew the horrifying picture of Angela.

It was there, on the clipboard attached to the table where I had seen so many people's faces before.

"Ok," I said quietly. "What do you need me to do?"

"We need you to confirm completely that this is a homicide," Zach told me.

"All right," I looked at the remains of my best friend. There was no smile, no happy eyes, nothing. "Fractures to the **(1)** supra-orbital foramen, nasal bone, **(2)** frontal bone, **(3) **squamosal suture, **(4) **lambdoid suture and both fibula's are broken and there are stress fractures on her wrists and ankles, as well there is a knick in her sternum, here at the **(5) **gladiolus, I think that this is from being stabbed with something from behind, and all the fractures in her skull are from being hit with something, hard. In my professional eye, I say it's a homicide."

Zach looked down at Angela's remains sadly.

"Can you finish without me?" I asked, I needed to get away from there.

"Yes Dr. Brennan," Zach said, looking away from the remains of Angela.

I turned and walked to my office again, bombarding myself in notes and facts. I wouldn't stop until I found Angela's killer.

Hodgins had been pulled off the case, and he wasn't to see the remains at any time until the burial because of conflict of interest. The look in his eyes when I told him that Angela was the victim...

There was a knock at my door that pulled me out of my notes, my safety. I looked up to see my partner standing there. I looked away again. "Come in."

"Hey Bones," Booth said to me, no smile was apparent on his features.

"Hello Booth," I said quietly, reading some forensics charts.

"You ok with all this?" he asked me.

"No," I admitted, looking up at him. I felt tears coming to my eyes, "I'm not ok with this, my best friend was murdered," I said, slightly angry.

"You're sure she was murdered?"

"Booth, Angela's never broken a bone in her life, and she's always careful, who would want to murder her?" I asked as a small sob escaped my lips and I went back to my research.

"I don't know Bones," Booth told me. "I really don't know why anybody would want to kill her."

I shut my eyes tight. "She fought though," I told him.

"What?" he asked.

"Angela had stress fractures on her wrists and ankles from being tied up," I told him, "she fought to get free from this, she didn't want to be killed, she tried to get away. Most likely so she could see Alisson grow up and so she could have a life, Booth."

Booth sighed. "I know she would've fought, Bones. She wasn't the kind of woman who would've just given up."

I grabbed all my notes and went over to my couch where I spread them out on the floor and I sat down.

"I don't know what to do," I said as I looked at some of my notes. Suddenly, I broke down into sobs. "There's no evidence to point to a killer."

"Hey Bones, it's ok, we'll find who did this," Booth came over and hugged me.

"Angela didn't deserve this," I cried.

"Nobody deserves it," Booth told me.

"Some people do," I pulled away and wiped my eyes. I was really tired, but I wouldn't leave until I found the killer.

"You know what I mean Bones," Booth said, a tiny smile trying to reassure me.

"I don't, I don't know," I started to cry again.

"Hey there, it'll be all right," Booth said again, trying to reassure me that it would be ok.

"I think I'm at a breaking point," I said, revealing to Booth something that I would've told only Angela. "I can't stay like this, it's too hard."

"How about we go and see her grave site?" Booth said.

Angela wasn't in the ground yet, but her tombstone was there, in the plot right beside a huge cherry tree that she would've loved to draw, and, it was also the plot beside my mother.

"I can't Booth," I told him. "I can't."

"You need to talk to her," Booth told me.

"But she's here in the Jeffersonian!" I broke down again. "I can't believe she's… she's gone!"

"She's not gone Bones, she's here in spirit," Booth said.

"Booth," I started to say that I don't believe in that sort of thing.

"Come on Bones," he said, standing up and holding out his hand.

I stood up and we went to the gravesite.

"Hey Ange," I started, but as soon as I looked down at the words on the headstone, I started to cry. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I should've known that you were missing, I should've known you wouldn't leave.

"I wish you were here still, I need to talk to you, if you were here I wouldn't need to talk to you though," I smiled a little bit. My eyes were stinging from the tears. "I'm scared to keep going here without you.

"I won't quit until I find who did this to you," I sniffed. "I need you here, you can't be gone," I sobbed again. "You were so much like my mom, I could tell you anything, or even when I couldn't, you'd somehow get it out of me. I miss you both. I need you both now more than ever. Please Angela," I said quietly.

I was holding a single white rose and I set it down on the ground near her tombstone. "Please don't leave me," I knew it was completely illogical to say this, but I needed her here. She was my friend, and whenever she was there I felt like mom was back.

Now I felt cold and empty.

Booth came over to me and hugged me close.

"I need a break," I admitted to him. "I need to go somewhere where there's no death, I don't care if I get bored, I need it," I said.

"Ok Bones, let's finish the case first though, ok?" Booth said.

I nodded. "All right," I said.

It's been four years since that day, and I still think about it every night. I wanted to write this down so that I could never forget.

I'm writing this and looking at my wedding band, which Booth placed on my finger when we were married.

Since Angela's grave and my mother's grave are right beside each other and I go there every week to talk to them.

I miss them both so much. There are still some nights when Booth will wake up and I'll be crying. He'll hug me and tell me everything's going to be ok.

Just like that day.

We finally found Angela's killer. He was a guy she had met at a club and he thought that they, as a couple, could get married. So he stalked her.

When she had gotten married to Hodgins, he'd gotten angrier, and when she had her daughter, he snapped.

When we arrested him, all I did was look him in the eye and walk away. I just needed to see the look in his eyes.

From what I heard, Hodgins went in and saw him, he punched the man and left him with a broken nose.

I have my own children now. I never thought I would, but here I am, I have two adopted daughters who we got from Africa, Uzuri and Malaika, and my own son, Jordan as well as Parker.

Hodgins still hasn't remarried and I don't think he ever will.

I told my biggest secret to Angela that day, and I tell her every week.

I loved her as a mother figure and as a sister; she was always there and always got me to talk. Angela Hodgins was the best woman you could meet and she taught me so much.

I miss her.

**A/N what do you think??? It's kinda sad and yes I know Brennan did a lot of crying but……. My muse got a hold of me finally. Oh well. Read and review! Oh and I also know that most people wouldn't have let any of the regular team on Angela's case, but since Brennan and Zach are the only two forensic anthropologists anywhere in DC, but the nearest is in Montreal (Watch the Pilot episode to understand!!) and I thought you guys would gimme a break.**

**Glossary:**

**Bone just above the eye**

**Forehead**

**Center of the side of the skull**

**Top sides of the back of the skull**

**Middle part of the sternum**

**Names Glossary:**

**Uzuri: Beauty in African**

**Malaika: Angel in African**


End file.
